The Seventh House in Astrology

The seventh house holds the key to commitment in all our long term relationships. It’s the house of ‘I do’ in more ways than one.

There’s no doubt that relationships provide us with the biggest opportunity for soul growth. The connection we have with people on a soul level which in turn translates into a living relationship with them, is part of our evolution both as spiritual and human beings. And the deeper this connection, the greater the opportunity for growth.

In astrology it is the seventh house which rules marriage, partnerships and long term relationships and the seventh house is traditionally associated with the sign of Libra.

Long term friendships also come under the seventh house.

The vast majority of human beings are ‘hard-wired’ to make these deep and profound connections as part of their soul calling. If you think about it, even those souls who have elected to have a life devoted to spiritual or religious calling- say nuns or monks – are still likely to have seventh house experiences due to the seventh house rulership of important friendships. This makes sense when we consider that although the seventh house rules marriage it doesn’t rule love or even sex! Yes, love and sex are usually a big part of marriage but historically, it is only relatively recently – the past two to three hundred years, that the idea you marry the person you are in love with has been commonly accepted. Prior to that marriages were made with a view to security – without children you wouldn’t have anyone to look after you in your old age, and also to gain power, land or other resources. Arranged marriages were common place with often neither party having any say in the matter!

Astrology or the astrological chart reflects this with marriage ruled by one house – the seventh, and love and relationships where sex is important ruled by the fifth and eighth houses respectively. In other words – because in the past the person you loved and the person you married might be totally different they were ruled by different houses!

Nowadays most of us have the freedom to choose who we marry as opposed to our partners being chosen for us so astrologically how does this affect our seventh house? If we are looking for a partner then often planets like Venus (ruler of love) or Jupiter (planet of good fortune), visiting our seventh house can bring in a serious prospect. The same goes for attracting serious friendships or a business partner.

Slow moving planets entering our seventh house – for example Neptune, which spend many years in one particular sign, can mean we may enter a period where we explore the themes governed by a house over many years. In other words – Jupiter spends a year in each sign so once he is in your seventh house this means you would enter a 12 month period where you have a better than usual chance of attracting that mate! If we look at the planet Neptune which is a higher vibration of Venus, Neptune spends approximately thirteen years in each house which means that Neptune in your seventh house brings you the maximum opportunity to explore soul evolution in partnerships. You’re literally in it for the long term!

In synastry astrology – where an astrologer looks at both individual charts to see what the potential is for a relationship, for a long term relationship to take place a personal planet of one or both (the personal planets are the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars) has to occupy the first or seventh houses in either chart. A consultation with one of our fabulous astrologers who specialises in relationship and synastry astrology can illuminate the potential inherent within any partnership be it personal or professional.

The seventh house is all about promises and commitment. So when you think about it we are literally saying ‘I do’ when we commit to any long term relationship and honouring a soul promise we have made to a person whether it is on a romantic, personal or even a professional level.

While planets in our seventh house can usher in potential partners it rests with individuals concerned as to whether or not the potential is realised. However, its always worth remembering that it is the soul growth we achieve through our relationships with others that really empowers us because at the end of the day we are all in a partnership – and that is with ourselves. By committing to our growth we become not only better partners for ourselves on our journey through life but also for those we do enter into relationships with. When we think about relationships in those terms then every encounter becomes a magical win/win situation no matter what the outcome.